This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from my application entitled REFRIGERATOR FOR KIMCHI filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Jul. 5, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 2000/38338.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, such as by way of example, for kimchi, and more particularly, to a refrigerator, such as for kimchi, having an improved temperature detection mechanism in a storage chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator, such as for kimchi. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator, such as for kimchi, includes a main body 3 having front door openings and doors 5 installed in the front of the main body 3, for opening and closing the door openings. The main body 3 includes an outer casing 10 defining an external appearance and an inner casing 20 accommodated in the outer casing 10 with a foaming agent space and formed with storage chambers 21a and 21b. 
The outer casing 10 has a substantially rectangular vessel shape. On the upper-front portion of the outer casing 10 is provided a manipulation panel 11 for enabling a user to select a ripening time and a temperature condition of foods, such as kimchi, contained in the storage chamber and to control a ripening mode or a cool storage mode. In the lower-rear portion of the outer casing 10 is formed a machine room 13 isolated from the storage chambers of the inner casing 20.
The pair of upper storage chamber 21a and lower storage chamber 21b are formed on the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer casing 10, respectively. Storage containers 25 for containing foods, such as kimchi, are accommodated in the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b. 
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a conventional kimchi refrigerator. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a freezing cycle of FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a single compressor 131 for compressing a refrigerant and a condenser 141 for condensing the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 131 are installed in the machine room 13 of the conventional kimchi refrigerator 101.
First and second heaters 161a and 161b which are operated by a supply of power, for maintaining the internal temperature of the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b at predetermined temperatures, and first and second evaporators 151a and 151b for cooling the storage chambers 21a and 21b using the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 141, are installed in the foaming agent space between the outer casing 10 and the inner casing 20. The first and second evaporators 151a and 151b and the first and second heaters 161a and 161b are disposed in such a manner that they substantially contact the side walls and the rear wall of the storage chambers 21a and 21b. 
The first and second evaporators 151a and 151b constitute zigzag refrigerant flow paths toward the upper portions from the lower portions of the storage chambers 21a and 21b, respectively. First and second refrigerant valves 145a and 145b for controlling supply of the refrigerant are respectively installed on branch refrigerant tubes 144a and 144b extended toward respective lower inlets 183a and 183b of the first and second evaporators 151a and 151b from the condenser 141. Refrigerant discharge tubes 153a and 153b extended toward the compressor 131 from upper outlets 181a and 181b of the respective first and second evaporators 151a and 151b are connected to a refrigerant suction tube 143 connected to a suction port (not shown) of the compressor 131.
First and second temperature sensors 171a and 171b for sensing the temperatures of storage chambers 21a and 21b are installed in the upper portions of the respective upper and lower storage chambers 21a and 21b in such a manner that the first and second temperature sensors 171a and 171b are adjacent to the upper portions of the first and second evaporators 151a and 151b, respectively. As described above, the first and second temperature sensors 171a and 171b are installed in the upper portions of the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b to sense the temperatures of each storage chambers 21a and 21b. This is for preventing the respective temperature sensors 171a and 171b from sensing temperatures differing from actual temperatures of the storage chambers 21a and 21b. In the case that the temperature sensors 171a and 171b are located on the lower portions of the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b, the temperatures detected by the sensors 171a and 171b may differ from the actual temperatures of the storage chambers 21a and 21b since the remaining refrigerant exists in the lower portions of the respective evaporators 151a and 151b. 
A controller (not shown) for controlling the operations of the components including the compressor 131, the first and second refrigerant valves 145a and 145b is provided in a predetermined portion of the main body 3 on the basis of the running mode selected through the manipulation panel 11 and the temperatures sensed by the respective temperature sensors 171a and 171b. 
In the above-described kimchi refrigerator, when power is supplied to the kimchi refrigerator and a running condition, e. g., the cool storage mode is input through the manipulation panel 11, the compressor 131 starts to operate and compresses the refrigerant. The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 131 is supplied to the condenser 141 and via the refrigerant tubes 144a and 144b the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 141 is supplied to the first and second evaporators 151a and 151b, to thereby cool the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b. Here, the refrigerant moves to the upper portions of the respective storage chambers from the lower portions thereof along the refrigerant flow paths of the respective evaporators 151a and 151b. 
The refrigerant that has been supplied to the first and second evaporators 151a and 151b and has cooled the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b is discharged along the refrigerant discharge tubes 153a and 153b connected to the upper outlets 181a and 181b of the respective evaporators 151a and 151b, and then returns to the compressor 131 via the suction tube 143 of the compressor 131.
The controller (not shown) controls the operations of the first and second refrigerant valves 145a and 145b appropriately on the basis of the temperature values of the upper and lower storage chambers 21a and 21b sensed by the respective first and second temperature sensors 171a and 171b, to thereby independently control the temperatures of the upper and lower storage chambers 21a and 21b. 
The first and second temperature sensors 171a and 171b for sensing the temperatures of the respective storage chambers 21a and 21b are installed adjacent to the respective evaporators 151a and 151b of the upper portions of the storage chambers 21a and 21b in the conventional kimchi refrigerator. Accordingly, in the case that one of the first and second refrigerant valves 145a and 145b is opened and thus only one of the storage chambers 21a and 21b is cooled, for example, in the case that the first refrigerant valve 145a is opened and the second refrigerant valve 145b is closed, the refrigerant moves into the first evaporator 151a, to thus cool the upper storage chamber 21a, and the refrigerant is not supplied to the second evaporator 151b. Then, the refrigerant remaining in the lower portion of the second evaporator 151b moves to the upper portion thereof by a suction force of the compressor 131, to then return into the compressor 131 together with the refrigerant of the first evaporator 151a. 
In this case, the temperature of the upper portion of the lower storage chamber 21b is varied, and thus the actual temperature of the lower storage chamber 21b becomes different from the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 171b installed in the upper portion of the lower storage chamber 21b adjacent to the upper outlet 181b of the second evaporator 151b. 
As a result, the second temperature sensor 171b cannot detect the actual inner temperature of the lower storage chamber accurately, and the controller cannot control the temperatures of the respective upper and lower storage chambers effectively.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator, such as for kimchi, for detecting an actual inner temperature of each storage chamber accurately and performing a temperature control effectively.
This and other objects of the present invention may be accomplished by a provision of a refrigerator, such as for kimchi, including a main body, an inner casing accommodated in the main body and formed with a plurality of storage chambers arranged up and down, a compressor provided in a machine room and isolated from the storage chambers, and a condenser for condensing a refrigerant supplied from the compressor, the refrigerator including: a plurality of evaporators surrounding the inner casing to form a refrigerant flow path toward the lower portion of each storage chamber from the upper portion thereof; a refrigerant valve respectively installed at a refrigerant tube extended from the condenser to a corresponding inlet of each evaporator; a suction tube extended from an outlet of each evaporator to the compressor; and a plurality of temperature sensors respectively disposed in the upper portion of each storage chamber, for detecting a corresponding temperature of a corresponding respective storage chamber.
Preferably, the storage chamber includes a pair of upper and lower storage chambers.
It is effective that each evaporator has a zigzag refrigerant flow path.
It is preferable that the refrigerant tube is extended from the inlet of each evaporator to the upper portion of each storage chamber via the refrigerant valve.